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How to shelter a homeless cat outdoors during winter

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  • Aug 31st, 2014 2:23 am
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Deal Fanatic
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Nov 24, 2012
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Are outdoor cats even legal? I ask this because in my small town it seems like there is a hell of a lot of them.
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Jul 11, 2006
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how is the cat doing through these harsh cold temperatures we've been having this week?

thank you for taking care of this cat. I'm sure the cat appreciates it.

Is the enclosure heated? There are ways to heat the enclosure for cheap. Just have to be creative :)
kthxbye
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Nov 11, 2008
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Solsearchin1 wrote: Are outdoor cats even legal? I ask this because in my small town it seems like there is a hell of a lot of them.
In some municipalities, outdoor cats who have owners are illegal. Strays obviously are not illegal since they have no owners.
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I would imagine it would be pretty hard to prove
kthxbye
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I live in a small town and just walking down my street I see 3 cats walking around. There's at least 40 around the downtown area here, I don't mind them but they always attack the rabbits that come on by lol and they piss my dog off :D
EPcjay wrote: In some municipalities, outdoor cats who have owners are illegal. Strays obviously are not illegal since they have no owners.
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Feb 12, 2013
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The little guy seems to be doing fine. Someone was asking about the kind of shelter we put up. It's a wooden box, insulated with Styrofoam, and covered with a tarp. Also, we have a heating cable inside on a timer. I think it's pretty good for now.
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Aug 20, 2005
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What's with the black cat strays? You are the third person I know of with stray black cats in their yard. One has a cat with kittens and the other like you just has the little black cat. She put out a box with blankets for the cat and I will pass on some of the suggestions from here.

I love black cats but I know many people don't which could account for the strays. My 16 yr old black cat was abandoned as a kitten in a busy parking lot. She has had health issues over the years and I have nursed her back to health several times when others told me to let her go. I always wonder what would have happened to her if I didn't bring her home. I know she would have died long ago so don't underestimate what you are doing for the kitty. Despite her past health issues, at 16, mine is happy and playful like a kitten and I have cherished all the time I have had with her.
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Cheap Cat wrote: What's with the black cat strays? You are the third person I know of with stray black cats in their yard. One has a cat with kittens and the other like you just has the little black cat. She put out a box with blankets for the cat and I will pass on some of the suggestions from here.

I love black cats but I know many people don't which could account for the strays. My 16 yr old black cat was abandoned as a kitten in a busy parking lot. She has had health issues over the years and I have nursed her back to health several times when others told me to let her go. I always wonder what would have happened to her if I didn't bring her home. I know she would have died long ago so don't underestimate what you are doing for the kitty. Despite her past health issues, at 16, mine is happy and playful like a kitten and I have cherished all the time I have had with her.
i notice this too. There's at least 4 stray black cats in my neighborhood. Love black cats as well. I got a 11 year old pure black domestic shorthair
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Feb 12, 2013
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My little black kitty is fine. Short time ago my son bought a heating pad from Pet Smart. It covers the entire floor of the shelter, it keeps steady temperature of 40C. Just pleasantly warm to the touch. We feed the little guy often enough that he's put on weight.
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thats good to hear. let me know if you ever need help with the cat food. we make our own food at home and have some to spare if you wish.
kthxbye
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Feb 1, 2014
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people that are telling OP to put camera's and lightbulbs and heating pads etc are taking this too far.

op is taking and helping a stray cat. OP you should be able to use your own common sense to make a cathouse, just google it. it's quite easy. you don't need heating pads, lightbulbs, etc.

and also, yes raccoons, skunks, and other cats are going to steal the food. animals unlike us have insane sense of smell. you should just take the cat indoors and make it an indoor cat only. if not, then what you need to do, as what i did when i found a stray cat, is you need to supervise it while it eats, or bring it in while it eats so no other animals steal its food.

for a cat shelter. go to candian tire get a big plastic bin for like 12bucks, put some old tshirt or clothing u have at the bottom for cushion and cut a hole in the front. get the cat use to going inside by putting the food there for it.
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Feb 1, 2014
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kittypink wrote: Did you read the Toronto Star article?
It says at roughly the middle of the article:

"Attard says the city’s feral cats, estimated at more than 100,000, can’t be adopted into households. Too wild to be domesticated, many ferals taken into shelters wind up being euthanized — a trend the coalition hopes to curb using TNR. Last year, Animal Services euthanized 3,517 cats, compared with 5,602 the year before. About 3,000 felines have been TNR’ed since the alliance formed in 2010. Over time, says Attard, the colonies — stripped of their ability to reproduce — will shrink. "

So, my understanding is that Toronto Anumal Services ARE doing trap, neuter and release but they are ALSO euthanizing ferals that have been brought in.
there is no such thing as "too wild to be domesticated". there are ppl in the world domesticating large cats like tigers, bobcats, lions, etc. and ur telling me a little feral cat can't be domesticated? LOL

i took a feral cat in that would paw and growl at anyone a few years ago. patience, patience, and more patience is what works. fed it for months in my backyard. to the point where i'd come out and whistle very loudly and it would come into my backyard. soon i brought it indoors and it was the greatest kitty i had!
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Prophet3 wrote: there is no such thing as "too wild to be domesticated". there are ppl in the world domesticating large cats like tigers, bobcats, lions, etc. and ur telling me a little feral cat can't be domesticated? LOL

i took a feral cat in that would paw and growl at anyone a few years ago. patience, patience, and more patience is what works. fed it for months in my backyard. to the point where i'd come out and whistle very loudly and it would come into my backyard. soon i brought it indoors and it was the greatest kitty i had!
+1

http://www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/my-cat-from-hell
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Feb 12, 2013
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I would like to write an update on a cat we kept over winter. Because he's all black we call him Blackie. He's a very good natured little animal. He wintered well, was well housed and warm. A few days ago I took a walk around the corner from the street I'm on and to my surprise I came across a cat looking very much like our Blackie. This cat had owners but the resemblance was unbelievable. I wonder if there are a few more duplicates in the neighborhood. The little guy knows he has food and home. He acts like guard cat. Sits on doormat by front door most days when it's not too cold.
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Nov 12, 2003
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caligulaswife wrote: I would like to write an update on a cat we kept over winter. Because he's all black we call him Blackie. He's a very good natured little animal. He wintered well, was well housed and warm. A few days ago I took a walk around the corner from the street I'm on and to my surprise I came across a cat looking very much like our Blackie. This cat had owners but the resemblance was unbelievable. I wonder if there are a few more duplicates in the neighborhood. The little guy knows he has food and home. He acts like guard cat. Sits on doormat by front door most days when it's not too cold.
I got my sister a heated doormat this winter so she wouldn't fall as she exits the house because ice had a habit of forming there. Need I say how cats LOVE that doormat? It cost me about $35 on Amazon last year.
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Feb 12, 2013
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I guess it's time for an update. The pussycat is well, if a little too independent. Loves cuddles. Has good appetite. I call him Blackie, my son calls him Lucky. Whatever we call him as soon as he hears our voices he comes to us. I think he's two timing us. He hangs around the garden. Whenever I'm outside he utters a soft cry to let me know he's close by. It always surprises me, I have never had a cat that does that. He is still skittish coming into the house. Stays for a short time and then leaves. I found out early on, the little guy understand "No" Quite surprising. He was misbehaving and I said no and he stopped. For now there are no complaints from either one of us, cat or me. Hope winter is better than last one. Not just for my little kitty but other animals as well. Sorry to say I have no dog. I wish I did. To get doggie cuddles I visit my friend. She has two, a Pomeranian and Coton. Pom is sometimes crazy, but Coton is pure joy! The best greeting ever. I will say one thing I have learned about myself. As I get older I appreciate my children and grand children in ways I couldn't imagine. Same with animals. I'm happy about that. I'm from a culture where these things were neither valued nor appreciated. This is what living in Canada has thought me. Best thing ever!

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